Dyson details plans for automotive test facility

‘Our growing automotive team is now working from Dyson’s state-of-the-art hangars at Hullavington Airfield’

Dyson, the British company synonymous with bagless vacuum cleaners, has laid out plans for a vehicle testing technology centre, as part of its plan to start manufacturing electric vehicles by 2021.

The centre will be located at a former airfield in the south-west of England, and is set to include 17km of test tracks and space for up to 700 staff, 400 of whom are already employed by Dyson’s automotive division.

“Our growing automotive team is now working from Dyson’s state-of-the-art hangars at Hullavington Airfield. We are now firmly focused on the next stage of our automotive project strengthening our credentials,” said Dyson CEO, Jim Rowan.

Details of the product to be manufactured are unclear, with no prototype yet created. However, given Dyson’s luxury branding, the upcoming car may be more targeted at the upper-end of the EV market.

Sir James Dyson, founder of the company, has hinted previously at the program, telling GQ Magazine “What we’re doing is quite radical.”

He has also hinted at the availability of “some” autonomous features, as well as the 360 degree camera currently used in high-end Dyson vacuums.

We also know that Dyson plan to use solid state batteries in its products.

Dyson yesterday confirmed it’s planning for vehicles to be “on the road” by 2021, but has not yet announced where it’ll build them.

Despite the money invested in its automotive division, Dyson last year posted a 40 per cent rise in turnover to $6.28 billion, with profits jumping over 30 per cent to $1.44 billion.